Tag Archives: The X Factor

MTSU student Brad Wannemacher didn’t know that he was being featured as “The X Factor” contest wowing judges in commercials leading up the series premier until he started getting phone calls from people who thought they saw him on television.

Brad Wannemacher

“It was like, ‘Oh wow,” Wannemacher says. “That’s kind of crazy. It was odd watching it back because you realize that’s you.”

Wannemacher, who wants to be a pop rock artist, uploaded a video of himself singing a Rihanna song onto YouTube. Someone (he’s not allowed to say who) from “The X Factor” saw the video and asked him to submit a video to the show’s producers. The producers were impressed enough with his performance to invite him to tryout in New Orleans for the celebrity judges. He made a trip to The Big Easy where he tried out in front of Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio.

“It took a lot of pressure off to have someone say, ‘Yes, we want you on our television show,’” he says. “But looking at Simon Cowell in the eye while you’re standing on the stage is quite intimidating, so the pressure was there.”

See how Wannemacher does during the show’s two-night debut, airing 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday night on Fox.

“I am super excited about my future,” Wannemacher says.

To see Wannemacher on “The X Factor” commercial, watch the video above. He’s at the 11-second mark.

Tate Stevens attends the "The X Factor" season finale at CBS Television City on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Mere months after being crowned champion on "The X-Factor," reality TV star and country singer Tate Stevens will release his debut album on April 23 via Syco Music/RCA Nashville.

Stevens, 37, went from repairing roads in Belton, Mo. to winning the second season of the Fox reality show, earning a $5 million recording contract. His self-titled debut album was made in Nashville with producer Blake Chancey, and includes three songs that Stevens co-wrote, along with Ashley Gorley, Joe Diffie, Wade Kirby, Phil O'Donnell, Shane Minor, and David Lee Murphy.

Lead single “Power Of A Love Song" hit country radio earlier this month

“For someone that has dreamt of recording and releasing music for over a decade, to say I’m excited is an understatement," Stevens said in a release. "I feel like the songs we selected for the album are a real reflection of my personality—they range from fun-loving to serious and everything in between. I’m so proud of this album and can’t wait for the fans to hear it."

-ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tate Stevens attends the "The X Factor" season finale at CBS Television City on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Hey, Tate Stevens, you’ve just won the second season of “X Factor” and a $5 million recording contract. What are you going to do next?

Head to Nashville, of course.

The 37-year-old country singer from Belton, Mo. told USA Today he would come to Music City next month to start work on his album. He’ll commute between Nashville and Belton while his son finishes high school, but said they’re “definitely moving.”

Coming in second place on the singing competition was 13-year-old Carly Rose Sonenclar, who made a memorable appearance with country star LeAnn Rimes on Wednesday night’s episode. The Huffington Post, TMZ and other outlets questioned Rimes’ sobriety during her duet with Sonenclar, and the U.K.’s Daily Mail said she made “a concerted effort to sing bigger notes and steal camera time.”

Paula Abdul, formerly a judge on American Idol, spoke on the EBA Conference panel on how reality TV shows continue to affect the music industry. (John Partipilo/The Tennessean)

In 2007 as Julianne Hough and her partner, Olympic skater Apolo Ohno, were climbing to the top of the pack on season four of “Dancing With the Stars,” a team behind the scenes was working to determine just the right time to release “Will You Dance With Me,” Hough’s first single.

They wanted the release timed to capitalize on Hough’s success on the popular show, which was beamed into homes twice a week.

Scott Siman, president of RPM Entertainment, who worked on the release of Hough’s single, told the story Monday to illustrate the power of reality television on the music industry, particularly in the launching of a new act.

“The connection of television and music is phenomenal,” Siman said. “It’s here to stay and it’s something we all need to recognize and deal with.”

Siman was part of a moderated discussion on how reality television, specifically singing competitions, affects the music industry. The panel also included former “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul, former “American Idol” contestant Melinda Doolittle, and Barry Adelman, executive vice president of television at Dick Clark Productions.

Simon Cowell has made no bones about his displeasure with NBC over adding a Wednesday installment of “The Voice,” which will compete with the series premiere of his celebrity-judged talent contest “The X Factor” on Fox tonight.

Blake Shelton, one of the celebrity mentors on “The Voice,” told “Access Hollywood” that he “normally doesn’t react” to what Cowell says about “The Voice,” but earlier this week, he made an exception.

“Every time I turn around, the guy is mouthing off,” Shelton told the entertainment show. “Don’t y’all wish you had time to sit around and (complain) and moan like that guy does? ... Come on, put something together there and do your thing and we’ll do ours and we won’t mouth off about you. I wish I had that much time. The guy must have more free time than he knows what to do with.”

While the shows went head to head last night, the scheduling conflict ends there — for now. “The Voice,” which also features Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera, will air at 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday next week. “The X Factor,” judged by Cowell, Britney Spears, Demi Lovato and L.A. Reid, is currently airing at 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays on Fox. Show times and dates are subject to change over the course of the season.

By Bill Keveney

On NBC's "The Voice," which opens Season 3 tonight (8 ET/PT), Christina Aguilera leads an all-star panel of coaches. Fox's "The X Factor," which returns for its second season Wednesday (8 ET/PT), has retooled, adding Britney Spears and Demi Lovato as judges.

And Fox's "American Idol" will come back in January with pop diva Mariah Carey (once courted by X Factor) and likely other marquee names.

The on-screen arms race doesn't even count the bounty of performers, from Rihanna (X Factor) to Katy Perry (Idol), who have made guest appearances. This season's Voice mentors include Billie Joe Armstrong, Mary J. Blige, Michael Bublé and Rob Thomas.

It's a far cry from the genre's beginning 10 years ago in the USA, when Idol premiered with a judging panel that featured a British recording executive (Simon Cowell), a pop singer whose chart-topping days were well behind her (Paula Abdul) and a music producer (Randy Jackson).

Both The Voice and X Factor have star-driven lineups for their fall face-off, but there are differences. The Voice, which avoids harsh critiques, features an established group composed entirely of performers (Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton), while X Factor, which won't hesitate to criticize poor talent, balances newcomers Spears and Lovato with returning pro talent evaluators Cowell and L.A. Reid.

But could the search for new talent dim beside the glow of ever-hotter celebritydom? "On the current crop, it seems to me that the judges are getting more out of it than the contestants," says Cowell, executive producer of X Factor.

"What works on X Factor is that you do have two very, very good record executives sitting on either side of the talent," Cowell says. The genre has "morphed into who can hire the best-known celebrity, but it will only work if these celebrities know how to spot talent."

Voice executive producer Mark Burnett says he was looking for young, relatable stars, and that their mix has been one of the appeals of the show.

"I had no idea about the chemistry, (but) I did know I wanted the coaches to be cool and to appeal to young America," he says. "Christina had a huge, long career and I really wanted Christina. In terms of the guys, I'd been fans of them all and thought it would be a great opportunity for them to work on the show and rise together. And I think (they) did. It was really mutually beneficial for everybody."

The X Factor didn't include Nashville on its list of audition sites this year, but executive producer/judge Simon Cowell has gone out of his way to include Music City residents in his new talent/reality show.

Cowell installed a high-definition X Factor recording studio from MyStudio in Cool Springs Galleria for X Factor hopefuls to visit and record official audition tapes. The studio, located near Dillard’s, will open at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 9 and remain open through the end of the month.

Auditions are a cappella and the only stipulation is that singers must be age 12 or older.

Cowell vows that every audition video will be viewed by an X Factor producer. He also says the booths are easy to use, and that redos are allowed.

The former cranky American Idol judge even offers tips for those trying out for one of the 12 spots on his new show.

“Try and demonstrate the type of artist you really want to be,” he says. “We are open-minded on this show. Do some research ... and see why some (songs) resonate more than others. If you do a copycat version of a song, chances are it won’t work as well as doing a unique twist on a song.”Continue reading →

Singing skill is only one of the talents that will be judged in the latest musical competition, CMT's Next Superstar, which premieres Friday, April 8 at 8 p.m. Central.

The country contest, hosted by Thea Andrews, differs structurally from the usual TV singing competition. Rather than simply performing before an audience, five men and five women ages 22-50 will take on a range of challenges, including writing songs and making music videos.

"It's really much more of an in-depth look than I think you would traditionally get from a singing competition show," says Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Matt Serletic, the show's one permanent judge. He'll be joined on the panel each week by celebrity guests, including singers Colbie Caillat and Trace Adkins. The premiere's guests are actress-singer Kristin Chenoweth and Billboard writer Fred Bronson.

In the weekly competition, a house audience will vote for its favorites. The bottom two vote-getters have to sing to survive, with the judges deciding their fate. When the competition gets down to two finalists, viewers nationwide will vote.Continue reading →